Dune Half 2 to Gladiator 2: Most anticipated motion pictures set to launch in 2024

The excitement for upcoming movies of 2024 is palpable, especially since 2023 has been quite good in terms of box office earnings for the film industry worldwide.

Among the several movies that cinema fans are looking forward to are a mix of productions from major studios and critically acclaimed directors. The excitement is not only around Hollywood offerings but also among lovers of Indian cinema, especially since the spectacular achievement of the Telugu-language movie RRR at the 2023 Academy Awards.

Movies that smashed the box office in 2023

Barbie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie broke records on their way to becoming two of the highest-grossing movies of 2023. Their collective total at the box office was around USD 2.7 billion.

Pretty close to the billion-dollar mark was Oppenheimer. Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece, which is widely seen as a frontrunner at the 2024 Academy Awards, earned well over USD 950 million.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (USD 845 million), Fast X (USD 714 million), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (USD 690 million), The Little Mermaid (USD 569 million), and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (USD 567 million) were among the films that earned the highest in 2023.

From elsewhere, two Chinese movies, both by state-owned China Film Group Corporation – Full River Red and The Wandering Earth 2 – were among the 10 highest-grossing films of 2023 worldwide. Full River Red, a historical comedy, is particularly noteworthy because its director is Zhang Yimou, whose works have won the top honours at Venice Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival and BAFTAs over the decades.

Movies to look forward to in 2024: A snapshot

Among the upcoming movies of 2024 are the sequels of Dune (2021) and Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021). Fans of action thrillers, particularly those of Henry Cavill, are eagerly anticipating the release of “Argylle,” which stars Bryce Dallas Howard too. There is also Drive-Away Dolls, starring Pedro Pascal, Matt Damon, Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan. Directed by Ethan Coen, one half of the Coen Brothers, the film is expected to earn critical acclaim upon release.

There is only one Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) release lined up for 2024. Yet that alone can be quite something for superhero fans throughout the year since it is Deadpool 3. The third instalment of the Deadpool franchise will have Ryan Reynolds reprising his role of the wisecracking assassin. But the biggest news is the return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in the film.

Superhero films are now the order of the day. And so there are three from Marvel Entertainment, or what is better described as Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU): Madame Web, Kraven the Hunter and an untitled sequel of Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021). All three are hitting the screens in 2024.

While teasers, trailers, posters or on-set pictures of several movies have been released, quite a few highly anticipated ones have yet to reveal a glimpse into them. Most of these movies, such as IF, Furiosa, Ballerina, A Quiet Place: Day One, Deadpool 3 and two of the SSU movies, are scheduled for screening after the first quarter of the year, alongside several others.

Most awaited movies releasing in 2024

Mean Girls

Directed by: Arturo Perez Jr., Samantha Jayne

Cast: Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auliʻi Cravalho, Bebe Wood, Tina Fey, Jon Hamm, Ashley Park

Release date: 12 January

About the film: Based on the 2004 comedy film, it is an adaptation of the stage musical Mean Girls, which itself was inspired by the original movie of the same name. Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp and Auliʻi Cravalho step into the roles of characters who were played by Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams and Lizzy Caplan, respectively, in the 2004 film.

Fighter

Directed by: Siddharth Anand

Cast:  Hrithik Roshan, Anil Kapoor, Deepika Padukone

Release date: 25 January

About the film: Fighter is one of the most-awaited upcoming movies of 2024 in India. Its story revolves around the pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Argylle

Directed by: Matthew Vaughn

Cast: Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, John Cena, Samuel L. Jackson

Release date: 2 February

About the film: Elly Conway (Howard) is an introverted spy novelist whose books draw the attention of a real-world espionage ring. As she finds herself in danger, a mysterious spy named Aiden (Cavill) turns up to protect her. Reports suggest that Argylle could be the first of a three-part franchise.

Madame Web

Directed by: S.J. Clarkson

Cast: Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced, Tahar Rahim

Release date: 14 February

About the film: The fourth film in the SSU, Madame Web is the story of Cassandra Webb (Johnson), who has the power of premonition. When she senses a major threat, Cassandra decides to protect three young women — all of whom have spider-like abilities.

Drive-Away Dolls

Directed by: Ethan Coen

Cast: Pedro Pascal, Matt Damon, Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan

Release date: 23 February

About the film: This film marks the debut of Ethan Coen as a solo filmmaker. It follows two girls, Jamie (Qualley) and Marian (Viswanathan), on a road trip to Tallahassee. Things take a strange turn when they come across a group of incompetent criminals.

Dune: Part Two

Directed by: Denis Villeneuve

Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Léa Seydoux, Christopher Walken

Release date: 1 March

About the film: Dune: Part Two is one of the most-anticipated movies of 2024, both due to the success of its predecessor and the stellar star cast. Based on the remaining part of Frank Herbert’s epic sci-fi novel of the same name, the sequel is expected to complete the story of Paul Atreides (Chalamet) — an exiled Duke on a mining planet where he falls in love with a Fremen girl named Chani (Zendaya).

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Directed by: Gil Kenan

Cast: Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt

Release date: 29 March

About the film: Frozen Empire is the fifth film in the Ghostbusters franchise and a direct sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Rudd, Coon, Wolfhard and Grace join old Ghostbusters, played by Murray, Aykroyd and Hudson, to save New York City from the Death Chill. A notable aspect is that director Kenan replaced Jason Reitman, who helmed the previous instalment.

Mickey 17

Directed by: Bong Joon-ho

Cast: Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, Steven Yeun

Release date: 29 March

About the film: Mickey 17 is the first film by South Korean director Bong Joon-ho after his groundbreaking Oscar-winning film Parasite. It is an adaptation of the sci-fi novel of the same name by Edward Ashton. Pattinson plays a disposable employee who is tasked with colonising a distant world. He is technically an immortal as every time he dies, his body is regenerated with all his previous memories intact.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Directed by: Adam Wingard

Cast: Dan Stevens, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Kaylee Hottle, Fala Chen

Release date: 12 April

About the film: This is a sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and the latest instalment in both the long-running Godzilla and King Kong franchises. It follows the events of its predecessor, where Godzilla and King Kong apparently reached a tenuous peace as dangerous monsters threatened Earth. The upcoming movie will be about a new threat for which the two titans may have to team up again.

Challengers

Directed by: Luca Guadagnino

Cast: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist

Release date: 26 April 2024

About the film: The story of Challengers revolves around three characters who knew each other in their teenage years. Zendaya plays a tennis prodigy-turned-coach who makes her husband, a struggling former tennis champion played by Faist, compete against her ex-boyfriend and renowned champion played by O’Connor. The circumstances trigger old rivalries and relationships. The film is Zendaya’s second of 2024.  It is also one of the most-awaited since director Guadagnino is known for his long list of critically acclaimed films, including Bones and All (2022).

The Fall Guy

Directed by: David Leitch

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt

Release date: 3 May

About the film: David Leitch has a resume to die for. He co-directed and produced the first John Wick (2014) film and followed it up by helming a series of action flicks, including Deadpool 2 (2018), Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) and Bullet Train (2022), that have turned him into a major force in cinema. That and the fact that The Fall Guy is the big-screen adaptation of a massively popular 1980s TV series of the same name is what has led to high expectations from action fans for this feature about a stuntman named Colt Seavers (Gosling) who moonlights as a bounty hunter.

IF

Directed by: John Krasinski

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Fiona Shaw, Cailey Fleming, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Steve Carell, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Maya Rudolph, Awkwafina

Release date: 17 May

About the film: The film is about a little girl, played by Fleming, who can see Imaginary Friends (or IF) of people who were created by children in their fantasies and abandoned as the children grew up. Krasinski told the Collider that the entire story was an idea he had “about seven years ago” and is “extremely personal.”

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Directed by: Wes Ball

Cast: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Peter Macon, Kevin Durand

Release date: 24 May

About the film: The film is a sequel that is coming six years after the release of its predecessor, War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). The upcoming film takes a time jump after the events of the 2017 movie. As such it is set in a world where the remaining humans are feral while several ape civilisations rule the planet. In this world, Noa (Teague), a young ape, and a feral woman Mae (Allan) go on a journey to determine the co-existence of humans and apes.

The Garfield Movie

Directed by: Mark Dindal

Voice cast: Chris Pratt, Samuel L. Jackson, Harvey Guillén, Nicholas Hoult

Release date: 24 May 2024

About the film: Hopes are quite high for the animated film particularly due to the tremendous box office success Pratt has enjoyed with The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The actor now voices Garfield in the upcoming movie, which is about the famous cat going on a wild outdoor adventure with his long-lost father, Vic (Jackson).

Furiosa

Directed by: George Miller

Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Nathan Jones, and Angus Sampson

Release date: May 24, 2024

About the film: Furiosa is a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). Taylor-Joy plays a younger version of Imperator Furiosa, a character portrayed by Charlize Theron in the previous film. Hemsworth reportedly plays one of the two warlords in the movie, but it is not clear if he plays an earlier version of Immortan Joe, the antagonist played by Hugh Keays-Byrne in the last film, or a new character named Dementus.

Ballerina

Directed by: Len Wiseman

Cast: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne

Release date: 7 June

About the film: All fans of John Wick are looking forward to this spin-off, which is about a group of female assassins trained by the criminal organisation known as Ruska Roma. The story is reportedly set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023).

A Quiet Place: Day One

Directed by: Michael Sarnoski

Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, Denis O’Hare

Release date: 28 June

About the film: The third film in the franchise serves as a prequel to the events of the first film in A Quiet Place franchise. It will, therefore, show the first days of the alien invasion that eventually wiped out most of humanity. So far, Hounsou is the only known returning cast member.

Deadpool 3

Directed by: Shawn Levy

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Leslie Uggams, Emma Corrin

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Release date: 26 July

About the film: One of the most important upcoming movies of 2024, Deadpool 3 will see Reynolds reprising his role as the titular Marvel assassin. It is the first Deadpool movie since Disney got the rights to several Marvel characters after acquiring 21st Century Fox. This makes Deadpool 3 the 34th film in the MCU and also allowed Hugh Jackman to return as Wolverine. The previous two Deadpool movies were R-rated while all MCU movies are primarily PG-13, which has left the jury on the rating open to speculation.

Borderlands

Directed by: Eli Roth

Cast: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Ariana Greenblatt, Jamie Lee Curtis, Edgar Ramirez, Haley Bennett, Florian Munteanu

Release date: 9 August

About the film: Some of the biggest acting talents are set to appear in this film adaptation of the popular video game series of the same name. According to a synopsis by maker Lionsgate Films, Borderlands will see an infamous outlaw named Lilith (Blanchett) reluctantly return to her home planet of Pandora to find the missing daughter of the Atlas (Ramírez).

Alien: Romulus

Directed by: Fede Álvarez

Cast: Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced

Release date: 16 August

About the film: The ninth film in the acclaimed Alien sci-fi horror franchise, Romulus is set between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), the first two films. Speaking to Variety, Spaeny said that the same team that worked on the second film, which was directed by Avatar creator James Cameron, was behind the xenomorphs, the dangerous extraterrestrial species, in the upcoming film. “So getting to see the original design with the original people who have been working on these films for 45-plus years and has been so much of their life has been really incredible,” said Spaney.

Kraven the Hunter

Directed by: J.C. Chandor

Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Russell Crowe, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger

Release date: 30 August

About the film: The second SSU movie to hit the theatres in 2024, Kraven the Hunter follows the titular antagonist of Spider-Man. Russian immigrant Sergei Kravinoff aka Kraven (Taylor-Johnson) is a well-trained hunter-warrior with animalistic powers, who sees himself as the protector of the natural world. A series of events forces Kraven to go on a mission to prove that he is the greatest hunter in the world.

Beetlejuice 2

Directed by: Tim Burton

Cast: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Belluci, Willem Dafoe

Release date: 6 September

About the film: Ever since its announcement at Warner Bros.’s CinemaCon panel in May 2023, Beetlejuice 2 has been doing the rounds of cinema talks. It is a sequel to Beetlejuice (1988), which makes it one of the longest-awaited sequels in history. Burton returns to direct and Keaton reprises the role of the ghost named Beetlejuice. Also returning are Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara in their roles of Lydia and Delia Deetz, respectively. Jenna Ortega is set to play Lydia’s daughter.

Joker: Folie à Deux

Directed by: Todd Phillips

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Zazie Beetz, Catherine Keener, and Jacob Lofland

Release date: October 4, 2024

About the film: There are numerous reasons why Joker: Folie à Deux is one of the most anticipated movies of 2024. One of them is that it is a sequel to Joker (2019), which redefined comic book storytelling by presenting a humanised narrative of Batman’s arch nemesis, Joker. The first film won the Golden Lion at the 76th Venice International Film Festival and received 11 Academy Award nominations among numerous other accolades. Phoenix won the Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award for best actor for playing the titular role. Joker is also the first R-rated film to pass the billion-dollar mark at the worldwide box office. The sequel, which is a musical, will see Lady Gaga play the iconic Harley Quinn.

Venom 3

Directed by: Kelly Marcel

Cast: Tom Hardy, Juno Temple, Chiwetel Ejiofor

Release date: November 8, 2024

About the film: The third SSU film of 2024 is also the third instalment of the Venom franchise. Like the previous films, it will be about Eddie Brock (Hardy) and his adventures with the alien symbiote named Venom. The film is yet to have an official title.

Gladiator 2

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Cast: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Djimon Hounsou, Joseph Quinn, Derek Jacobi

Release date: November 22, 2024

About the film: Perhaps the biggest of all the films releasing in 2024, Gladiator 2 will hit the screens 24 years after its predecessor. According to Scott, the film is set around 15 years after the events of Gladiator. The historical epic will tell the story of a grown-up Lucius (Mescal), the boy from Gladiator who has become the new Roman Emperor. Nielsen returns to play Lucilla from the original.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Directed by: Jeff Fowler

Cast: Ben Schwartz, Idris Elba, James Marsden, and Colleen O’Shaughnessey

Release date: December 20, 2024

About the film: A sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022), expectations are high from the third film in the franchise because the previous two smashed worldwide box office. Schwartz, Elba and O’Shaughnessey return as Sonic, Knuckles and Tails.

(Hero image: Courtesy of Niko Tavernise – © nikotavernise.com/IMDb; Featured image: Courtesy of Universal Pictures – © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved./IMDb)

The story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Kuala Lumpur

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

– What movies will be released in 2024?

A series of big-budget offerings and films by acclaimed directors are on the slate of movies in 2024. These include Dune: Part Two, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, The Fall Guy, Deadpool 3, Joker: Folie à Deux and Gladiator 2 among others.

– What movies are releasing in January 2024?

Kalki 2898 AD Part 1, Mean Girls and Fighter are among the movies releasing in January 2024.

– What movies are releasing in February 2024?

Argylle, Madame Web and Drive-Away Dolls are among the movies releasing in February 2024.